THE GODFATHER OF WESTERNS
True West|April 2023
Robert Duvall talks about the iconic Lonesome Dove, on the cusp of a special cast reunion.
HENRY C. PARKE
THE GODFATHER OF WESTERNS

With seven Emmys won, Lonesome Dove is unquestionably television’s most respected Western achievement. The roles were so good, the nominations of Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as Best Actor, and Diane Lane and Anjelica Huston as Best Actress, may have split the vote and cancelled each other out.

The miniseries had such a profound effect on the filmmakers and actors that many careers are now seen as pre-Lonesome Dove and post-Lonesome Dove. Jones had been a respected film and TV actor for nearly two decades, but Lonesome Dove made him a star. Lane’s performance solidified her transition to adult roles, as was true for Ricky Schroder, who went from teen heartthrob to leading man. With his Emmy win, Simon Wincer went from being an obscure director of Aussie TV episodes to perhaps the most in-demand Westerns director since John Ford.

Duvall, on the other hand, was already a star. Famous for his portrayal of Tom Hagen, the adopted son of Don Corleone, in 1972’s The Godfather and 1974’s The Godfather: Part II, Duvall had been nominated for Oscars in The Godfather, 1979’s Apocalypse Now and The Great Santini, and won the statue for 1983’s Tender Mercies. Millions of schoolkids knew him—and generations of them still do—as Boo Radley in 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He had hardly stepped before a TV camera in 20 years, but he knew this would be no ordinary miniseries. “In fact,” he says, “on Lonesome Dove, I walked into the dressing room and said, ‘Boys, we’re making the Godfather of Westerns.’”

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av True West.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av True West.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA TRUE WESTSe alt
Where Did the Loot Go? - This is one of those find the money stories. And it's one that has attracted treasure hunters for more than 150 years.
True West

Where Did the Loot Go? - This is one of those find the money stories. And it's one that has attracted treasure hunters for more than 150 years.

Whatever happened to the $97,000 from the Reno Gang's last heist? Up to a dozen members of the Reno Gang stopped a Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis train at a watering station in southern Indiana. The outlaws had prior intelligence about its main load: express car safes held about $97,000 in government bonds and notes. In the process of the job, one of the crew was killed and two others hurt. The gang made a clean getaway with the loot.

time-read
2 mins  |
July - August 2024
Hero of Horsepower -  Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.
True West

Hero of Horsepower - Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.

Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.

time-read
7 mins  |
July - August 2024
From the Basin to the Plains
True West

From the Basin to the Plains

Discover Wyoming on a road trip to Cody, Casper and Cheyenne.

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2024
COLLECTING AMERICAN OUTLAWS
True West

COLLECTING AMERICAN OUTLAWS

Wilbur Zink has preserved the Younger Gang's history in more ways than one.

time-read
3 mins  |
July - August 2024
Spencer's West
True West

Spencer's West

After the Civil War, savvy frontiersmen chose the Spencer repeating carbine.

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2024
Firearms With a Storied Past
True West

Firearms With a Storied Past

Rock Island gavels off high profits from historic firearms.

time-read
2 mins  |
July - August 2024
She Means Business!
True West

She Means Business!

An energetic and ambitious woman has come to Lincoln, New Mexico, to restore the town's legendary Ellis Store.

time-read
2 mins  |
July - August 2024
Ride that Train!
True West

Ride that Train!

HERITAGE RAILROADS KEEP THE OLD WEST ALIVE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

time-read
5 mins  |
July - August 2024
Saddle Up with a Western
True West

Saddle Up with a Western

Old West fiction and nonfiction are the perfect genres to fill your summer reading list.

time-read
7 mins  |
July - August 2024
RENEGADES OF THE RAILS
True West

RENEGADES OF THE RAILS

RAILROADS WERE OPEN SEASON FOR OKLAHOMA AND INDIAN TERRITORY OUTLAW GANGS.

time-read
6 mins  |
July - August 2024